Drinmore Novice Chase: I Am Maximus springs surprise for Willie Mullins

Back at the scene of his famous Irish Grand National success under an inspired Paul Townend ride, the Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old defied a drop in distance in excess of a mile to land Sunday's Grade 1 contest over two and a half miles.

Jody McGarvey was entrusted with the ride on this occasion and he kept his mount in the hunt on the outside, just behind clear leader Letsbeclearaboutit (5/4 favourite) and the smooth-travelling Found A Fifty (11/4).

Everything appeared to be going well for Gavin Cromwell's market leader Letsbeclearaboutit but he began to tire after two out, with Found A Fifty produced by Jack Kennedy on the approach to the last.

I Am Maximus was also making ground running the final fence and with Found A Fifty putting in a relatively untidy leap, the initiative was handed to I Am Maximus, who stayed on strongly to score by two and a half lengths at odds of 11/1.

Sky Bet make I Am Maximus the 16/1 joint favourite for next year’s Randox Grand National, while Betfair go 12/1 about his chance in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over the Christmas period.

Mullins said: “That’s a nice bonus on his last day as a novice. He’s a total character, as you could see from his early days racing. Paul (Townend) gave him a great ride in the Irish National and Jody gets on well with him and gave him a super ride there.

“He looks a class horse now rather than a handicapper, so maybe we’ll have to make different plans for him now. We were hoping he’d have a chance over the trip and the fact that it was his last day as a novice to give him the opportunity. He’s clearly improved from last year and obviously shows a liking for Fairyhouse.

“He has a funny action when you look at him head on and I’d imagine softer ground is to his liking. I thought he was beaten turning for home and to produce what he did up the straight was very good.

“This year, we were maybe looking at going for the English National and whether we change and go for Grade One races now, I’m not sure. We’ll have to have a word with Frank (Berry, racing manager) and JP (McManus, owner) and see what they want to do."

Mullins also fielded multiple Grade One-winning hurdler Sharjah, who had been victorious in two chase starts, but he could finish only fourth under Townend.

The trainer added: “I didn’t speak to Paul yet, but for me Sharjah clearly didn’t like the ground and you could see that from his head action."

McGarvey was thrilled to claim top-level success after a testing campaign in the 2022-23 season.

He told RTE: “It’s nice to have rides on these good horses on the big days, let alone a horse with a chance. When they put it in and they actually win, it’s a great feeling.

“I knew he’d stay well. He has his own idea about things and his jumping can be a bit tricky at times, but on the whole, he jumped well today.

“Last year, I spent most of the year on the sidelines with a few niggly injuries and a couple of surgeries. Thankfully, I got everything straightened out. When you come back after being away for such a long time, it’s hard to get yourself going.

“Thankfully, riding for the people that I am, in Mr McManus and Frank Berry, has been huge. They are giving me the chances to get on these horses and I’ll be forever grateful to them.”

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org